The National Community Food Bank Programme recorded pledges worth over N66 billion on Thursday at its official launch and inauguration of the Board of Trustees held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
The programme, which is aimed at tackling hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity across the country, received strong backing from both the Federal Government and major private sector players, with commitments announced during the event hosted by the First Lady, Oluremi Tinubu.
Speaking at the launch, the Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, said the initiative was coming at a critical period in the country’s development journey, stressing that access to nutritious food must be treated as both a public health priority and a moral obligation.
According to him, the programme is designed to provide direct support to vulnerable Nigerians, especially children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and low-income households struggling with the impact of economic hardship and food inflation.
One of the biggest commitments announced at the event came from the Aliko Dangote Foundation, which pledged N20 billion in-kind support to be spread over a period of five years.
The foundation said its intervention would focus on the provision of fortified and nutritious food products, in line with the broader objective of improving food access and nutritional outcomes in communities across Nigeria.
Also lending major support to the initiative was NNPC Limited, which announced a N10 billion commitment to be disbursed over the same five-year period.
The Emeka Offor Foundation also pledged N500 million upfront, while some anonymous associates of the First Lady were said to have contributed $500,000, which is estimated at about N750 million based on prevailing exchange rates.
In addition to the private sector support, the Federal Government announced a major financial intervention for the programme.
Prof. Pate disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had approved a special intervention of N17 billion through the Social Action Fund to support the implementation of the food bank initiative nationwide.
He explained that the intervention would be deployed through a community-based procurement model, allowing food and nutritional items to be sourced locally within communities, wards and local government areas.
According to him, the model is intended not only to improve food access for vulnerable households but also to stimulate local economic activity by encouraging local production and supply.
Pate also revealed that if all 36 state governors contribute the proposed N500 million each, the programme could attract an additional N18 billion, pushing the total available support well beyond the current figure.
He said the governors had been encouraged to align with the Federal Government’s effort by contributing to the initiative, particularly because much of the spending would be community-based and directly targeted at grassroots beneficiaries.
Responding to the appeal, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said he would engage with his colleagues on the issue of counterpart funding.
He assured that the governors’ forum was ready to work with the Federal Government and support initiatives that would improve food access and welfare at the state and local levels.
The event also drew support from local government authorities, with the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria expressing full backing for the programme and describing it as a timely and impactful intervention.
The food bank initiative is expected to operate through a community-based distribution structure, with food banks to be established in every Local Government Area of the country.
According to officials, the system will be linked to Primary Health Care centres supported by the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, while implementation will also involve collaboration with the Bank of Agriculture and other relevant agencies.
Under the programme, beneficiaries are expected to receive nutritious, locally sourced food items through a voucher-based system, which will target the most vulnerable populations in society.
Those expected to benefit include malnourished children under the age of six, pregnant and lactating women, orphans and vulnerable children, as well as households identified as being at high nutritional and economic risk.
Government officials said the approach is intended to ensure that support reaches those who need it most, while also creating a more transparent and accountable framework for food distribution.
Prof. Pate stressed that the initiative goes beyond food distribution alone, noting that it is also closely tied to broader health and development outcomes.
He said malnutrition remains one of the most serious public health challenges facing Nigeria, contributing significantly to child mortality, poor physical growth, low cognitive development and long-term economic vulnerability.
According to him, the food bank programme is part of a wider effort to break the cycle of undernutrition and poverty by ensuring that vulnerable households have better access to safe and nutritious food.
He added that the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare would support implementation directly, working through the ministry and the National Primary Health Care Development Agency to leverage Nigeria’s extensive network of health facilities.
This is expected to help integrate food and nutrition support into frontline healthcare delivery, especially in underserved and low-income communities.
Beyond the financial pledges, speakers at the event described the programme as a potentially transformative intervention that could become a major social protection tool if effectively implemented and properly sustained.
The launch attracted a wide range of dignitaries and stakeholders, including members of the National Assembly, ministers, development partners, civil society organisations and traditional rulers from across the country.
Among those represented were the Sultan of Sokoto and the Ooni of Ife, reflecting the broad national significance attached to the programme.
The event also featured a symbolic presentation by the National Health Fellows, who honoured President Tinubu through the First Lady with a commemorative memento.
With hunger, rising food prices and malnutrition continuing to affect millions of households across Nigeria, the National Community Food Bank Programme is being positioned as a major intervention to provide relief, improve nutrition, and strengthen community resilience.
For many observers, however, the true success of the initiative will depend on how effectively the pledges are converted into action, how transparently the resources are managed, and how well the programme reaches the communities and vulnerable groups it was designed to serve.
If implemented successfully, the initiative could become one of the most visible and impactful social welfare programmes in the country, especially at a time when many Nigerians are looking to government and the private sector for practical responses to the growing cost of living and food insecurity.
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